Learn Mandarin

Everyone can learn Mandarin successfully with the right approach. Traditional instruction relies on rote memorization with is not very effective. There is also the language lab method which evolved later into “CD method” involving very little interactive learning. With advanced online technology, innovative approaches are making it effective and inspiring to learn Mandarin.

Mandarin Chinese

Chinese language has no alphabets but has characters that express the idea to be communicated. Written Chinese language is the same all over China; although pronunciation of a character may be different from one part of the China to another. Mandarin is the major dialect used mainly by Chinese staying in Beijing. As Beijing was capital of China for centuries, Mandarin became popular in China as officials from Beijing traveled to all parts of China speaking the Mandarin dialect. Mandarin is now synonymous to Beijing language, national language or common language in China. Outside China, the term Mandarin refers both to the Chinese people and their language.

Mandarin Learning

Today Mandarin is the main language of government, the media and education in China and Taiwan. It is also taught as second language in many countries. Mandarin Chinese is the spoken and written language for more than one quarter of world population.

For those who are not yet able to read Chinese characters, the best way to begin learning Mandarin is to concentrate on understanding spoken Mandarin and learning to speak. The learning can be easy if the learner approach it by getting familiar with Pinyin which is the pronunciation of Chinese language using the Roman alphabet. Learning Pinyin avoids the need to learn to understand too much about Chinese characters.

Speak Mandarin

Just like learning other language, immersion is the most effective approach to learn Mandarin. By learning mandarin in China or in a mandarin speaking environment, learner get to practice mandarin all the time by speak mandarin with people around them. However immersion learning is not always possible for cost reason and the next best option is to be in close contact with a few Chinese speakers. The frequent use of Mandarin with a native speaker allows immediate correction to be made while speaking Mandarin.

Read Write Mandarin

The most natural way Chinese learn their Mandarin is to learn to read and write Chinese characters. Writing is an important part of learning when Chinese children learn to write Chinese texts and decode the meaning of the words. Reading is as important as writing in mandarin learning.

It is also relatively simple to learn to read and write Mandarin at fundamental level of understanding. Mandarin text follows well-defined structure and learning the Mandarin character structure helps a lot in learning to speak Mandarin. The Mandarin language uses varying tones to give different meanings to a word. Mandarin words, when spoken, impart meaning to listeners. A person learning to speak Mandarin will soon gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and way of life.

Mandarin For Kids

Children learn languages faster than adults because they simply imitate what they hear to remember the language. For this reason, kids are able to learn mandarin faster as they are able to observe and memorize complicated language rules and grammar. For this reason, beginning with correct pronunciation and tones is the fastest way for children to learn Mandarin.

Mandarin courses for kids should come with dialogues applicable to children’s everyday life. Through engaging study method, kids are given greater affinity for learning Chinese. They will naturally pick up the grammar patterns in the dialogues and use the expressions in the correct manner.

Learning Technology

With technology, mandarin learning is no longer confined to routine classroom practices. Within classroom, technology can be integrated for greater learning experience. Outside of classroom, mandarin student can use free Internet resources to enhance learning and deploy internet tools to communicate with mandarin-speaking friends within their social networking. There are also many free video sites offering online mandarin lessons, from elementary to advanced level, from adult mandarin to business mandarin.

In addition, there are also mandarin learning software that comes complete with flash cards, scripts and practices. For advanced technology users, they can subscribe to podcast and mandarin video RSS. They can also download mandarin learning games and audio for learning at their own free time.

Learn Mandarin Overseas

In all major cities such as New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Kuala Lumpur and even Mumbai, mandarin learning is becoming very popular. For the busy individuals, signing up with a local Mandarin school is the best arrangement they can afford. For more serious learners, learn mandarin in china is to sign up for immersion program in Beijing or Shanghai. Other popular destinations to learn mandarin are Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore.